The Yue Kingdom was but a small nation, its territory the size of a single province.
It was divided into four commanderies: Liu Shui, Giant Rock, Ouyue, and River.
Ouyue, located in the center, was the site of the Capital. Liu Shui, to the west, bordered both the Yun and Xia Countries and served as a commercial commandery.
Giant Rock Commandery lay to the north, a military commandery tasked with defending against the Border Army of the Xia Kingdom, which occupied the land of the Six States.
The River Commandery was in the south. Thanks to its great river, grain was relatively plentiful, making it the breadbasket commandery.
Liu Shui Commandery administered seventeen counties, An County being one of them. More than twenty villages and towns were scattered around the county.
The neighboring Chen Manor and Hu Family Village were two such settlements.
Because they were neighbors, the two families were often in conflict, with armed brawls being a common occurrence. And so it was on the day of the autumn harvest.
「The Hu Family Village Ancestral Hall.」
A large crowd had gathered. A closer look revealed they were all adult men. Anxious expressions filled every face, yet all they could do was stand and wait.
Only the man in the center—an old man with a grizzled beard and narrowed, seemingly benevolent eyes—remained perfectly composed, taking an occasional sip of tea.
Standing beside him was a burly man with a long scar on his face and a vicious look in his eyes.
"Ahem."
The old man spoke.
"Everyone, I understand what you're all thinking."
"The reduction in this year's harvest has been catastrophic. You all know what that means for this year's taxes. If we don't find a solution, a great many of our Hu Family Village clansmen will surely die."
At these words, looks of grief appeared on the faces of the clansmen below.
"Therefore, we'll just have to go 'borrow' some from our neighbors," the old man said with a chuckle.
The clansmen exchanged glances. As understanding dawned, their expressions shifted.
Such were people in uncertain times. One moment they were villagers, the next... they could be bandits!
Besides, they shared a generational feud; there would be no guilt.
"Alright, go home and prepare."
Watching the clansmen leave, the old man turned back to instruct the scar-faced man, "Son, just like before, our branch of the family needs to be careful. Don't rush to the front. Stay in the middle. We'll get our share when the time comes."
"I know, Father."
"But, Father, are we arranging a brawl this time, or...?"
"Hmph. Blockhead. We're going to catch them by surprise, hit them hard, and get out. Understand?"
"But if we do that, won't we be breaking all ties?"
"Heh. I've known that old fool Chen Haiping for half my life. He's soft. We'll wear masks. With no evidence, he'll naturally have to think about his remaining clansmen."
"The Hu Family has the upper hand now!"
"So this time... are we killing anyone?" the scar-faced man asked, licking his lips with a look of eager anticipation.
"Kill! Of course we'll kill! And we'll aim for their men. One less man is one less obstacle to taking their land. For villages like ours without enough land, Chen Manor is the only one close by. We have no choice but to devour them," the old man replied, his kind facade vanishing, his voice decisive and ruthless.
"Good. I heard they have a new Clan Leader who's just a kid. If I get the chance... hehe."
"Crippling him will be enough."
...
Despite the reduced yields, the arrival of the autumn harvest still brought a harmonious atmosphere to the village.
A few families even bought firecrackers to set off. It was a custom to light them during the harvest, meant to scare away the beasts and mice that might steal the grain.
It was similar to driving away the Nian Beast during the New Year.
The wealthy bought fireworks and firecrackers, while the poor could only burn mugwort.
Chen Yong's family was one of the ones setting off fireworks and firecrackers.
His uncle, Chen Shuiwen, had brought the firecrackers back from one of his trade runs.
"Dad, I'm going to Brother Nuo's!" Chen Yong shouted, running out the door with two firecrackers in hand.
"Hey, you little rascal, slow down!"
His aunt chided from behind while his uncle just looked on helplessly.
Chen Yong ran all the way to Chen Nuo's home, where firecrackers were also being set off.
But something was strange. Chen Yong was puzzled.
'Why is my cousin staring blankly at the fireworks? What's he spacing out about?'
What was he thinking?
Gunpowder!
Cannons!
Guns!
Firearms!
'These fireworks actually fly. Could the gunpowder inside be used to develop explosives?'
Unfortunately, Chen Nuo had already tried. For some reason, even though the powder looked just like black powder, it was incredibly weak.
Even attempts to purify it were useless. The resulting product wouldn't even ignite, a complete waste.
It had earned him several glares from an angry Sister La.
As for gathering large quantities of this black powder to make weapons...
It was simply not worth the effort. The cost-benefit ratio was abysmal.
'What should I do?'
Looking at these things, Chen Nuo felt an itch he just couldn't scratch.
'Maybe I should try... Spray Transformation?'
'Maybe I'll get a metaphysical miracle?'
"Brother Nuo!"
A loud shout startled Chen Nuo.
Chen Yong was waving a hand in front of him, as if to see if he was awake.
SMACK!
He slapped the hand away. "What's all the shouting? Shouldn't you be setting off fireworks at your own house? What are you doing here?"
"Let's play together, Brother Nuo," Chen Yong said with a grin, handing him a firework.
Chen Nuo shook his head. Chen Yong wasn't stupid, but he was young, reckless, and overly blunt. That's why, at fifteen, he still acted like a little kid.
However, he was only like this around people he was close to.
"Alright, fine. But I don't need yours, I have my own. Here, I'll give you a few."
Though he found it childish, Chen Nuo couldn't say no and decided to indulge him for a bit.
And then...
BANG!
BANG!
"Hey! Hey! Leave some for me, Brother Nuo!"
...
「That night.」
After his daily workout, Chen Nuo began breathing on the six fireworks he had placed before him.
He was attempting to use Metaphysics to achieve his goal.
"HUUUUU..."
A dense fog enveloped them.
It was gradually absorbed.
Finally, under Chen Nuo's expectant gaze, the six fireworks began to change. Three of them swiftly turned black and began to rot. A foul stench of decay—like rotten durian, rotten eggs, and stinky socks all mixed together—assaulted his nostrils.
Ugh.
Chen Nuo's vision swam. Even with his current physique, he actually felt a wave of dizziness.
He quickly grabbed something to wrap them in.
"Cough! Cough..."
"My god, what is that smell..."
"Ah Nuo, are you playing in the muck? Why does it stink so bad?!" his mother's angry voice called from inside.
"It's okay, it's okay, Auntie! I'll... I'll go with Brother Nuo and deal with it."
"Don't! Don't come in! I'll handle it myself!"
After a frantic scramble...
Outside the door, under an unlucky tree, Chen Nuo added the last shovelful of dirt.
'Damn, that's a biological weapon.'
Chen Nuo's expression was grim.
'Still, at least I got something out of it.'
Chen Nuo tightened his grip on the remaining three fireworks in his hand.
Looking closely, these three fireworks seemed a little bigger than before, and even their casings had a unique metallic luster.
They looked utterly bizarre.